The Club Election
218bfd08e95b01d5ce7e4472e6103852.jpg i-love-lucy-s2-e19-the-club-election-campaign-sign.png Previous episode: The Inferiority Complex Next episode: The Black Eye http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/RuthCrystal.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/GorgeousLucy.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/PrettyEarringsEthel.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/SmearCampaign.jpg Plot It's time for the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League to nominate members for officer positions. Lucy is confident that she will get picked for some job, she's just so popular and wonderful. She even has a dreamy new cashmere sweater and bag to show it. When it comes down to the office of president, Lucy hasn't been nominated for anything yet, but she's sure that the current president is talking about her when listing off the reasons why the next-in-line president is perfect for the job. When the current president asks to shake the hand of the next leader, Lucy extends her hand, thinking she'll be picked. But it's Ethel's hand who gets shaken. Lucy is desperate. She has to act now. So, she asks "Lillian" Appleby to "caucus" with her in the kitchen. Shortly after, "Lillian" emerges from the kitchen wearing Lucy's new cashmere sweater. To no one's surprise, "Lillian" asks to nominate Lucy for the office of president. Ethel glares at Lucy, who merely tries to reason her underhanded act by saying that it's the democratic way to have two candidates for presidents. Lucy and Ethel are hard at work on the campaign trail. They tell each other their election progress the next time the Ricardos and the Mertzes are scheduled to play bridge together. Discussing one another's campaign slogans reveal that Lucy has made one saying "Nertz to Mertz," and Ethel has made one calling Lucy "a deadhead, or should I say 'dyed head'." Lucy and Ethel start shouting at each other and become determined to make even more slanderous posters. Lucy bribes "Lillian" Appleby once again, this time with her new bag, to help her figure out how many votes she and Ethel have each. At the present moment, Lucy and Ethel are tied, with 6 votes each. The deciding vote is going to come down to the brand-new club member, Ruth Knickerbocker. Lucy and Ethel begin showering Ruth with lavish dinners and activities, each trying to sway Ruth's vote in their favor. Fred and Ricky decide to also get in on swaying Ruth's decision. But Fred wants Lucy to win the election, and Ricky wants Ethel to win. Neither man wants the aggravation that will surely come along with their wife being head of a club. Fred invites Mrs. Knickerbocker to the Tropicana, and Ricky sings to her at her table. In enter Lucy and Ethel, announcing that they are now co-presidents, since the vote was a tie. Ruth Knickerbocker couldn't come to the election, because she is sick in bed from all the rich food Lucy and Ethel have been serving her. Ricky protests, saying that Ruth is right beside him. Lucy explains that the woman at the table isn't RUTH Knickerbocker, but Ruth's mother-in-law. The cast in this episode included Doris Singleton (Lillian Appleby); Ida Moore (Mrs. Knickerbocker); Margie Liszt (Marion Strong); Hazel Pierce (Grace Munson); Lurene Tuttle (outgoing club president); Peggy Rea (Pauline Lopus). Trivia *This is the first appearance of Marion Strong and "Lillian" Appleby. The next appearance of Marion Strong will be played by Shirley Mitchell, who is the one best remembered for the role. Actress Doris Singleton says that Lucy was the one who changed her character's name from Lillian to Carolyn. Lucy didn't like the sound of Lillian for some reason. She suggested Doris use her real first name, but Doris didn't like that idea. So, Lucy just came up with Carolyn and Charlie on the spot. Interestingly, the script originally called for the character's name to be "Carolyn Applegate," but Lucy changed all of the club members' names to those of people she knew. "Lillian Appleby" was Lucy's favorite elementary school teacher. But she favored "Carolyn" in the end for whatever reason, and Lucy is the only person in the episode to address Mrs. Appleby as "Carolyn," not "Lillian." *Besides Ethel (and, later, Lucy) being nominated for club president, "Lillian" Appleby is nominated/elected secretary, Grace Munson is nominated/elected treasurer, and Marion Strong is nominated/elected vice president. *It would have been great to have been able to see Lucy's gorgeous cashmere sweater in color. LucyEddFan pictures it as having been a faint, pastel green with diamond-like accents. *It's a shame that Lucy bought that ugly purse to go along with the breathtaking sweater. "Lillian" should have asked for something different in return for helping Lucy find out via telephone calls who was voting for whom in the election. *If Lucy wanted to be the club president so badly, that's great and all, but that doesn't excuse her from taking away Ethel's moment in the limelight. She should have been happy that Ethel finally was getting some attention. Why didn't she think to be co-president with Ethel long before the tied vote? Ethel didn't seem to mind sharing the presidency position, and Lucy could have used the angle of wanting to help her best friend do the job, side by side. *This is the first appearance of Pauline Lopus. The actress who played her will appear as bridge player Dorothy the next time she's on the show (episode #62). *The old club president (the one who hands the presidency over to Ethel) remains nameless in this episode. But the role is played by actress Lurene Tuttle, so we can just call the old president "Lurene" for fun and for ease. *The mention of the '52 presidential caucus being televised is one of the few times modern history/politics/events is featured on the show. *These are Lucy's campaign poster slogans we get to hear: "Happy you will be with Lucy, cast your vote and wait 'til you see!" "'Nertz' to Mertz!" *And these are Ethel's slogans we get to hear: "You can go farther with Ethel" (taken from some old gasoline ad/motto) "A vote for the redhead is a vote for a deadhead, or should I say 'dyed head'." "With our club's welfare, do not tinker. Lucy Ricardo's a dirty stinker!" * In this episode, Ricky sings the very clever "Cuban Cabby" (with tongue-clicking and a bit of "Spanish Love Song" for good measure) to impress Mrs. Knickerbocker. Quotes *Ethel: I came up to tell Lucy that the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League is meeting on Friday this week. Ricky: The Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League is meeting on Friday? Ethel: Yeah. Ricky: I thought you always met on Thursday? Ethel: Oh, no, we never met on Thursday. We usually meet on Tuesday. *Ricky: Honey, you don't need a clubhous. Why don't you meet on the back fence like other cats do? *Lucy: Say, listen, Ethel, you are going to vote to admit Ruth Knickerbocker into the club, aren't you? Ethel: Oh, I don't know. Lucy: Well, she'd be a wonderful addition to the club. Ethel: You think so? She seems sort of a quiet, mousy type to me. Lucy: Yeah, well, under that mousy exterior beats a cut-glass punch bowl with 20 cups. Ethel: Ooh! That's the kind of woman we need in our club! *Lucy: Come on, Lillian, let's caucus! *Lucy: I might have known you'd resort to mudslinging! Ethel: And I might have known you'd conduct a smear campaign! *Ricky: Hello, Information, I'd like to have Ruth Knickerbocker's phone number, please. "Knickerbocker." Listen, if I knew how to spell it, I wouldn't have to call Information! "Knickerbocker"- I don't know! N-I-K-E-R-B-O-K-E-R. There's nobody by that name? Look again, will you? Yeah, yeah! That's it, that's it! With a "K"?!﻿